


Asgore's New Game

by Warden_Epsilon



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Anomaly (Undertale), Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Deconstruction, Family, Forgiveness, Grief/Mourning, Historical References, Inspired by Music, Mental Health Issues, Multiple References To Other Video Game Series, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rating May Change, Suicidal Thoughts, Video Game Mechanics, Violence, that's a plot point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25840534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warden_Epsilon/pseuds/Warden_Epsilon
Summary: This an AU, designed around a simple question; what if Asgore gained the ability to RESET? After travelling back in time, Asgore goes to the Ruins to prepare for the children's arrival; however, as time passes on, it becomes rather clear that nothing is quite the same as it was before...
Relationships: Asgore Dreemurr & Toriel
Comments: 9
Kudos: 19





	1. Prologue 1: A Message

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
FILE LOADED  
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

...

…

…HELLO?…

…

…ARE YOU THERE?…

…

…CAN YOU HEAR ME?…

…

YOU"VE BROKEN EVERYTHING.

…

THE DARKNESS IS GROWING,

DARK, DARKER, YET DARKER.

…

TIME IS BROKEN,

AND THE WORLD HAS RESET,

FARTHER THAN IT EVER HAS.

…

EXCELLENT.

TRUELY,

EXCELLENT.

…

YOU'VE MADE

SOME TRUELY DIFFICULT DECISIONS.

…

CHOICES THAT RIP

YOUR SOUL

INTO PIECES.

…

YOU BORNE FAR MORE SINS

THAN MOST COULD BEAR.

…

THEY GNAW AT YOU,

TEARING YOUR SOUL TO PIECES,

NEVER TO RELENT.

…

AND YET YOU CHOOSE

TO BEAR THEM REGARDLESS.

EVEN AS YOU SOUL CRIES FOR HELP,

YOU STILL CONTINUE,

ALL FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR PEOPLE

…

YOU STILL REMEMBER THEIR FACES,

EVEN AFTER ALL THIS TIME.

…

BUT THEY ARE NOT HERE NOW.

NOT AT THIS POINT.

…

YOU CAN SAVE THEM.

YOU CAN CHANGE

EVERYTHING.

…

DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE?

THEN…PLEASE…

…PROMISE ME

THAT YOU'LL REMEMBER…

No matter what happens…

No matter what the future might hold,

remember;

there is always a home for you.

Even after everything that's happened,

everything you've done,

you can still go home.

Isn't

that

right

Asgore?


	2. Chapter 1: Fortitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asgore meets the first child in the Ruins, and talks about the barrier.

When the first child fell into the Ruins, I was not entirely prepared.

I had been attempting to prepare for their arrival, of course; I had remodeled the old house, cleaned some of the old tunnels to make passage safer, planted some flowers to liven up the place. However, a number of things prevented me from making as much progress as I wanted; namely, I had to be careful around the city of Home, lest some monsters begin to ask too many questions; many of them didn't know why I was here, and I couldn't tell them about the kids. Another problem was that the lack of light in the Ruins made it difficult to grow anything; even some of the flowers I had planted when I had first arrived had yet to fully bloom.

The biggest problem by far, however, were the puzzles. Many were rusty with disuse, and one of the door puzzles, in particular, had a nasty tendency to slam shut rather violently whenever someone attempted to pass through it. Other puzzles flat out refused to work at all, with one of the old spike puzzles requiring a permanent manual override, courtesy of a large hammer, to be rendered passable.

Still, for the better part of the year that I had been there, the Ruins were looking far more presentable than they had been before I had arrived, and there was at least one safe, trap-free passage to every major location. While my work was far from complete, it was a start, and it would serve for the time being.

And yet, fate had a tendency to be a cruel mistress. I knew that all too well.

The Hole, as it was known to most monsters, was where humans were able to pass from the surface, through the barrier, into the Ruins. A perilous, 20-foot drop onto the old cavern floor, it was where Chara, the first human child to ever fall down, had 'taken' the same entrance after accidentally tripping on a tree root. I, myself, had attempted to blockade the entrance from the Underground by blasting the Hole itself with magic, hoping to cause a cave-in.

More than a bit reckless, I know, but if it meant the difference between my injury in the Ruins, or another human child getting trapped in the kingdom of monsters, then it was worth the risk.

However, the plan failed; the barrier was between the Hole and the cavern floor, and it kept reflecting the magic back downward. Thus, the only option that I had was to cushion the potential fall with flowers, if… no, WHEN other humans would eventually fall down.

I was walking towards the Hole when I first encountered her.

I had been feeling a strong, almost uncontrollable urge to go to the Hole ever since I woke up that morning; I found it to be a lovely excuse to water some flowers regardless. I had just passed into a large, dark room that housed little more than a patch of flowers in the middle, with a few small rays of light filtering in from above; it was the first room a human would come through after falling in. I felt oddly well that day, upon awakening; I felt strangely calm, and I couldn't figure out why. I hadn't been able to get a proper night's rest for years; not since my children…

I found myself shuddering; I wouldn't think about that. That hadn't happened anymore, and right now, I needed to focus on the future, for once in my life.

Especially since a human had just fallen into the Underground.

We had first encountered each other in that dark room, standing on opposite ends of the room, the golden sunlight flowing down between us. I gave a quick once-over; no visible injuries, thank goodness. She was far smaller than I was; couldn't be taller than 5'2'. She was pale, had long, blond hair tied back into a ponytail, and wore a white ribbon in her hair. She was wearing a dirty white blouse, a simple pair of blue jeans, and a simple pair of white tennis shoes. In her right hand, she held a toy; a plastic knife, that looks like it had seen some use.

I felt my dust turn cold. For a moment, I found myself in a different place; my old castle.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I was standing in front of the barrier, facing away from it, towards the same girl. She was standing and staring at me, crying and pleading, begging to try and talk something out._

_As much as I wanted to, I couldn't lower the trident I was holding._

_"You don't need to do this…!" She pleaded._

_"I am sorry, my child…" I began, my voice shaking. "I am afraid I have no choice."_

_With reluctance, I raised my trident—_

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I shook my head, trying to clear the memory from my mind. I refocused back to the scene in front of me. The girl was still starring at me with those pale blue eyes, her face hold a mixture of alarm, confusion, fear, and wonder.

I glanced down at myself; I was wearing an old brown leather tunic, black leggings, and a heavy purple cloak on top of all that. Standing at 7'3, even without the massive pair of horns on my head, a heavyset, golden-maned, white-furred lion-dragon-goat-hybrid boss monster was most certainly not the friendliest looking creature around.

I fortified my resolve. There would be time for regrets later. Right now, this girl was scared, and needed my help.

After a moment's contention, I kneeled down on one leg.

"Howdy!" I greeted, eager to see a brighter future. "My name is Asgore Dreemurr, and I am the Caretaker of the Ruins."

_**Link Established: Theodora, Soul of Patience** _

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, here we are! My home!"

I had brought the girl to my house to settle down and recuperate. It was a quiet, peaceful little house, nestled into the far back corner of the Ruins, away from the hustle and bustle of Home. It was a single-story home, with plain hardwood floors, and plain white walls, nothing too terribly special. Unless, of course, you counted the basement, which lead to the Snowdin Woods.

Directly ahead of you, when you entered the house, there would be the staircase, leading to the basement. To your left would be the living room; it had some simple furnishings: a coffee table with some chairs, a recliner, a bookcase on the north wall, on the right side, a fireplace next to it, in the center. Beyond it was the kitchen, containing little more than some drawers, a fridge, a sink, an oven, and a trash can. To the left of the foyer was a hallway, leading to three bedrooms: the children's room first, my wife's old room second, and my room third.

The child was a quiet girl, and more than a little nervous; when I had offered her my hand, she hesitated for a moment, before grasping tightly, as if she was afraid I would disappear at any moment. I had brought her through the Ruins, past many puzzles, to the relative safety and comfort of my abode. I had offered to carry her if she felt tired, but she refused, saying… well, more like demanding, really… that she would rather walk along side me. The girl seemed to hold onto my hand with a controlled panic, tensing up whenever another monster drew near; she seemed ready to run at a moment's notice.

In particular, she seemed to have a (admittedly, rather understandable) phobia of the Loox monster race: a short, rotund monster type featuring two small horns on there head, two short arms, two short legs, a single, massive eye taking up the entire front half of it's head, and a row of sharp, jagged teeth just below the eye.

When I inquired why they, specifically, frightened her, she simply responded: "Bad memories."

I decided not to pry further.

But, at last, we could put that behind us. The child had already run indoors, eager to see the inside of my home. I found myself chuckling; although it had taken nearly an hour of walking, the little child practically took off like a rocket, running full speed into my home. For the first time in quite a while, I found myself giving a genuine smile.

It was good she didn't seem to remember me from before. Every moment of her happiness made the world seem just a bit brighter.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"When can I go home?"

It had been roughly five days since the girl had arrived. During that time, she had opened up to me somewhat, and began telling me about herself; her name was Theodora, and she was 13 years old.

She explained that she had come to Mt. Ebott to play; she liked to climb the mountain, and pretend to be a fearless explorer, bravely fighting off the scary monsters.

Ironic, then, that she had fallen into the Kingdom of Monsters itself.

Theodora explained that she had simply gotten lost a day before, and it had started to get dark. She had found a cave, by lucky chance; it wasn't exactly ideal, by any chance, but it seemed like an adequate shelter for the night. Theodora was patient, after all; she would simply wait for someone to find her. It's not like the nearest town was very far away, after all; surely someone would come looking.

Sadly, fate had other plans.

The cave had a hole in its floor, surrounded by roots. Out of curiosity, just after dawn had broken, she had came closer to take a peek, only to trip on a root, and come tumbling in. She had just barely managed to stagger to the next room when I found her.

Of course, she was thankful for my hospitality; gracious, even. And yet, I couldn't be surprised or upset when she had asked the question.

I found myself adjusting my position, sitting up in my chair a little. We were in my living room, I was sitting in my recliner, near the lit fireplace, while Theodora had dragged a chair on over from the coffee table, and was sitting a few feet in front of me.

I scratched my beard; I had to take a moment before answering.

"Child… I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Theodora looked right at me. "What do you mean?" she asked.

I sighed, the weight growing in my soul. "Every entrance to the Underground, in or out, has been sealed with a magical Barrier. When you fell into the Underground, you became trapped here, same as the rest of us." I said, struggling to keep my voice even. "The only way one could leave is if they held both a monster soul and a human soul. Yet, it is not that simple." I had to take a breath to calm myself.

"You see, as far as we know, neither a monster nor a human can live without their soul. To leave the Underground, either a monster would have to kill a human, or a human would have to kill a monster. The previous royal scientist had been attempting to find a way to pass the barrier without anyone being hurt, but he—" I frowned, unable to think of the scientist's fate. "he disappeared one day, and no one knows where he went."

The child interrupted me. "What about breaking the barrier?"

I shook my head. "The barrier was sealed by humanity's seven most powerful mages. It would require a monster to absorb seven human souls to break, and make no mistake, no human shall suffer any torment down here if I can help it. A child shouldn't have to fear for their life in the Underground." My voice cracked at that last sentence.

"So… I can't go home?" Theodora asked, tears in her eyes.

I shook my head sadly, and Theodora lowered her head; I could hear her sniffling. More pain laced through my soul. Well done. I thought, my own mind chastising me for my actions. The first child you try to help, and she's broken down into tears. You can't seem to do anything right, can you, you pathetic—

No, no. Calm down. You can still help her. Think, for once. Think.

I thought for a moment. What can I do for her? Where can she go? She needs someone other than me, and she can't stay here. Where could she—

Then I realized, I knew exactly she could go. Somewhere she could be happy, where she could be loved.

I took another deep breath. "Child, would you be willing to live with the Royal family?"

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day, at noon, several members of the Snowdin Royal Guard Unit came to escort Theodora to the Capital.

I had taken as many of the necessary precautions as I could, of course: warm, heavy clothing for the cold wilds of Snowdin, thin, light clothing for the heat of Hotland, food and drink for the travel, and an emergency cell phone, in case Theodora was separated from her escorts.

I had called in to both the Royal Guard and Royal family yesterday; the Guard had readily agreed to help escort the child to the Capital, however: due to the suddenness of the assignment, only three of the soldiers could be here at the agreed time, the rest having to meet in Snowdin. The Royal family, meanwhile, had taken the news rather well; Toriel, the Queen, was overjoyed at the prospect of more children, and Asriel, the prince, had beamed at the prospect of having an older sister.

The plan was simple; escort the child to Snowdin, take the boat service to Hotland, through the CORE, and then to the palace, where the family would be waiting.

There was one part of the plan that Theodora did not like, however.

"You're not coming with us?" she asked.

I found myself sighing once again. We were in the tunnel below the Ruins, standing just before the door that would exit to Snowdin Woods. The child had agreed to living with the royal family, although she seemed to be oddly hesitant; something about queens being the bad guys in every story. I tried to reassure her that Toriel was different, but…

We had been just about to go our separate ways when she asked that question.

I lowered my head, unable to look her in the eye. I found the courage to speak. "Child… I believe it would be in everyone's best interest if I did not come with you."

"Why?" she asked me, sounding heartbroken.

I opened my mouth to speak; I want to confess, to tell her why, oh so badly. I wanted her to be afraid of me, to hate me, to look at me with hate in her eyes and venom on her lips.

But I couldn't.

So, I told her a truth. Not quite the full truth, but not exactly a lie, either.

"I can't go back to the capital, child. I have done things in the past that haunt me until this day, and I came here to make things right, to the best of my ability. Besides, I am needed here in the Ruins, child. There are many projects that I need to finish up, and I simply cannot afford to help you; everyone needs me here too much. Make no mistake, if I could go with you, I would, but I just simply can't."

"Why can't I stay here, with you?" she asked.

Another cold stab of pain to the soul. "Theodora, the Ruins are not a place to be raising a child. They are far to small for someone like you, and I need to make sure that everything here is fixed up properly, for safety." I had to stop for a moment, and force out a smile. "Someone really needs to take care of these flowers."

It wasn't exactly the most convincing argument, but before she could question me further, the door to Snowdin opened; the Royal guard had arrived.

The first two of the three guards were only known as 03 and 04; their actual names were unknown. They both looked nearly identical; both wore identical black plate armor that covered their entire bodies with a white Delta Rune, the symbol of the Royal family on the chest-piece, and they both carried large, scimitar-like swords. The only difference between the two was that their helmets were designed to fit their species; 03 was a feline, and her helmet was designed to resemble a cat skull. 04, meanwhile, was a praying mantis monster with his helmet being a long, triangular helmet resembling a jousting helmet. The third was Doge, a white-furred female canine resembling a basset hound, wearing a solid black set of plate armor, and carrying a spear.

Theodora turned to look at them, and then back to me. "Are these…?"

I nodded once. "These are some of the monsters that will be escorting you to the capital." I confirmed. "Once you are there, you will be escorted to the Queen, who will see to that you are properly taken care of for as long as you are down here."

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked me.

I gave a short chuckle. It would be best if you didn't. "Of course you will. However, if you ever come back here, please remember to bring someone with you. I can't have you getting lost, now, could I?"

Theodora gave a simple, polite nod.

I rose to my full height, and turned to the three guards standing at the door. I focused on Doge. "You know your orders." I began, looking her directly in the eye. "This child is to be taken to the capital, to the queen, safe and sound. No harm will come to this child; defend her with your life. Understand?"

The three guards all nodded; Doge gently smirked, and spoke up: "Loud and clear, sir!"

I nodded. At this time period, all three were just recently recruited, and yet they all showed an uncommon loyalty. I had complete faith in them.

I looked back down, at Theodora. She looked up, at me.

I smiled at her. "Time to go, child."

The quicker you're away from me, the safer you'll be.

Theodora looked me in the eye, sadness still present. "Goodbye." She stated.

Then, she ran forward and hugged me. "I'll miss you, Mr. Dreemurr.

You shouldn't. "I'll miss you too, my child."

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I watched as Theodora left with guards, disappearing into the white void that was Snowdin. Giving a small sigh to myself, I turned around, and headed back to my house.

I walked back to the living room, and sat down in my armchair. For once, I felt at ease, like a heavy weight had been lifted, ever so slightly. It was still there, and yet I felt like I could breath easier. I checked my status:

_4c 6f 73 74 20 53 6f 75 6c_

_LV. 10_

_HP: 25_

_ATK: 35_

_DEF: 30_

_Bears many burdens._

I felt a sigh of satisfaction escape my mouth. Although my stats had lowered greatly since I had come back in time, and I had no idea why it showed those numbers and letters instead of my name, I couldn't help but admit that I was ok with it. I mean, as long as the children were safe, then my stats didn't matter, right?

I closed the stat window, and settled myself down for a nap. I felt myself relax for the first time since I left the castle. I began to drift off…

One rescued, five more to go. Then, the demon will arrive…

.

.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this first "real" chapter; I'll try to have the next few up soon!


	3. Chapter 2: Obstinacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some father and son antics in the snow. :)

When the second child fell, I was busy weeding one of my garden beds.

Things had notably improved in the Ruins since Theodora had left. Numerous flowers had grown in the year and a half since she had gone to live in the capital. Throughout the Ruins, everywhere you look, the dull purple stone had been supplemented by beautiful greens, blues, reds, oranges, purples, and many other colors in-between. It had been difficult work, of course, ensuring the flowers would grow healthily in the Ruins and yet, I couldn't be happier. For once, I felt like I was doing something right.

I had become a common pastime of mine to simply wander through the Ruins, taking in the sights, and admiring my work. It felt rewarding, like something I did could finally make someone happy. Sometimes, either Asriel or Theodora, or even both at once, would visit the Ruins, usually to just talk. Both of them, Theodora in particular, wished that I could come home permanently, but they both respected my decision to stay here and continue to work on the Ruins. Besides, they saw or heard from me every two or three days anyway, and Toriel seemed to be happy enough without me regardless, so…

It's funny, really. I had asked Toriel if she wanted me to come home, to help with the children and the kingdom, but she refused, practically ordering me to stay in the Ruins. I admit, it was a bit strange, but if she wanted me here, then who am I to argue? After what I've done in the past, I've lost the right to call myself a man.

Besides, I found it too difficult to even look at the castle these days. Far, far too many bad memories.

Regardless…

It was around noon when I met the second child again. I was in one of the many puzzle rooms of the Ruins: it was just a few rooms away from where I met Theodora. Nicknamed the Switch Puzzle room, it was, fittingly enough, a simple puzzle room where you had to flip several switches on the walls to proceed. Somewhat ironically, most passerby usually just left the puzzle finished these days; too much hassle to care, apparently. Besides, I had written the puzzle solution on the wall, with arrows pointing to which switches to flip, so it's not much of a puzzle anyway.

But, as I said, I was busy pulling some weeds, under a flowerbed below the first switch, in the middle of the north wall, when a voice spoke up behind me.

"Um, excuse me?" the voice started. They sounded young.

I didn't look up; I was too focused on the flowers. "Oh? Is someone there?"

The voice answered back. "I'm a little lost. You know where I can go?"

I found myself chuckling. "Just a moment! I'm almost done pulling these weeds…" I said, before grabbing one of the few clumps of the offending plant life, and pulling.

"What are you doing?" The voice asked.

"Making this place look nice, of course!" I answered, still not looking up. "If anymore humans fall down here, I want the place looking nice. Make them feel at home, you know?"

"Why?"

"Why…? Well, it's simple, isn't it? I want them to know they have nothing to fear, to feel safe. That's why the old war started in the first place, remember? Humanity was afraid of us. I want to change that."

I found myself pulling the last clump of weeds out from the ground. "There we are!" I exclaimed, before turning around. "Now, how can I help—"

Standing before me was the second child.

He had a Nordic style of face, and short, dark brown hair sat upon the top of his head. He was short, although not quite as Theodora, and wore a white muscle shirt, black shorts, and a pair of worn shoes. A bandana with a picture of a pair of abs on its front was tied to his head, and he wore a pair of old pink leather gloves. There was something resolute about the way he stood, showing no fear as he stared at me with those brown eyes.

I stumbled backwards, and fell to my backside, my eyes locked to the child the entire time. There seemed to be a hint of concern on his features.

All I could choke out was a pathetic "oh."

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The child's name was Omar, and he was 11 years old.

Like Theodora, he had been playing on the mountainside, pretending he was an adventurer, fighting the scary monsters that had been sealed underground. Like Theodora, he had fallen into the Ruins. Like Theodora, he wanted to go home. Like Theodora, he had agreed to living with the royal family as compensation.

That was where the similarities pretty much ended.

In stark contrast to Theodora's timidity, Omar was a beautiful bundle of energy, always running, jumping, moving, always eager to see something new. Everything he saw, he found some way to play with it. Even falling into the kingdom of monsters barely seemed to phase him. Nothing in the Ruins seemed to shake him, and there was no fear in anything he did.

Unlike Theodora, Omar showed no fear traveling the Ruins; every monster we met, he always seemed happy to see. It was an odd sight to see; a human, a creature so many monsters feared, was happily chatting to everyone he saw. Despite this, he never strayed too far from me, always doing his best to stay within my sight, almost like he was clamoring for attention. Even when he went to greet someone, he always made sure I was nearby, and actually led me by the hand to meet some of his new "friends." He enjoyed the puzzles, as well, often clamoring to play more, about how there had to be another one, somewhere.

Eventually, I brought Omar to the house for rest. Like everything else, he made a habit of running around everywhere inside, turning everything over. Within the hour, the boy had found his room, jumped up on his bed multiple times, and made a cape out his bed sheet, all while shouting about a "superman," and pretending he could fly. I found myself giving a genuine laugh, and let him have his fun.

It was the least I could do.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I brought him to Snowdin two days after he fell in.

I made the decision to accompany Omar to the castle, as I didn't want to have to wait for the guards to come pick him up. It was a simple plan; take the child to Grillby's, a cafe, for lunch, then bring him via the river to the capital. From there on, her Highness would take care of him.

It had been a cold walk to the town. Fresh snow lined the forest; Omar and I bundled up in thick clothing and stuck close together to keep warm; a parka for the child, and an old, leather coat for myself. The child refused to leave my side when we were walking through the snow, clinging to my body like I was a life preserver. I had told the child that he could play in the snow if he wanted, but he refused, something about not liking the cold. So, we pressed on, continuing until we reached the warm confines of Snowdin village.

Snowdin was not exactly the biggest town in the Underground. Surrounded on all sides by trees, it was a bit easy to miss if you didn't know where you were going. From the moment you entered, there were only a few buildings immediately visible, all on your left-hand side when you entered; the right side was nothing but trees.

First was the sign, a gigantic white horizontal banner decorated with leaf designs on either side, and WELCOME TO SNOWDIN written in the middle. Immediately afterwards, the first building you'd notice in the shop, with an inn connected next door, both ran by a pair of rabbit monsters; relatives, in fact. Next to the inn, someone had built an igloo, presumably to sleep in, and an actual house was next to that. From there on, a Gyftmas tree was placed in the center of the street, where monsters could place presents for the holidays. After that was Grillby's, our destination.

After that, not much else to say, really. After Grillby's, there was a path to the north of town, where there were a few houses on the left, an ice machine for the CORE on the right, and the river to the north of that. To the right of the path, there was Library, with the sign misspelled 'Librarby' for some reason, and after that, another house where a pair of skeleton brothers lived, and the entrance to Waterfall.

Omar and I entered Grillby's. It was a simple place: on the outside, a simple wood and brick building, brown in color, with it's name written in large letters up top. On the inside, a few booths to the right, both empty, a few tables to the left, occupied by several dog monsters.

A jukebox was in the back right corner, and at the far end, directly opposite the entrance, was the main bar, maned by the owner, Grillby: a fire elemental, always dressed in a black waistcoat, white undershirt, brown khakis, brown loafers, and he always wore glasses, despite the lack of any apparent facial features.

Omar and I sat down at the bar. "Two hamburgers, please." I requested. Grillby nodded, and retreated to the back, without saying much of anything as usual.

"That's the owner?" Omar asked.

"Indeed. Grillby is a fire elemental, a rarity around these parts. This cafe attracts monsters from all over the Underground. If you're lucky, you might even meet a celebrity!" I gave a short laugh; the awestruck expression Omar had would make anyone chuckle.

Soon afterwards, Grillby returned with our food. While we ate, Omar had begun asking questions; what kind of other places were there in the Underground, what kind of monsters, how long had we been down here, what kind of person was the queen, when can he meet his (hopefully) temporary family, the usual questions.

In between bites, I answered them to the best of my ability; I told him about Waterfall, Hotland, MTT Resort, the Core, the Capital. I told him about different kinds of monsters; dragons, wolves, elementals, Boss Monsters. I told him about the war, about the fighting on both sides. I told him about the royal family, how they were known throughout the Underground for their kindness, about how they would be happy to take him in. Omar sat with rapt attention, never once interrupting, absorbed by the stories.

Then, he asked me another question.

"Can you teach me how to fight?"

I nearly choked on my burger.

"Child…" I began, hesitant. "Why do you wish to fight? It is peaceful down here; there is no need for violence."

"I know that, but," the child paused for a moment; he seemed to be thinking. "You guys have cool looking guards down here! I wanna be like them, with cool armor and cool weapons! C'mon, please?" Omar begged, looking like a little puppy when he did so.

My first instinct was an Immediate "No." After everything that I had done, I had sworn myself away from fighting, even leaving behind my old trident in the castle. Every time I woke up in the morning, I still found myself seeing blood on my hands, and I could hear the children screaming at me, damming my soul to the darkest pits of void. I was not about to risk harm to this child, even in jest.

And yet…

I sighed. As much as I wanted to say no, I knew it was necessary; combat in the Underground was much different than that on the surface, and the child needed to learn to adapt in case it was needed. While I strongly doubted that anyone would try to hurt him, (there wasn't any war going on, after all) learning how to defend yourself I still a good move. Monsterkind often used magic attacks as form of greeting; those attacks could be dangerous to a human, and it would be a good idea to learn to defend yourself in those situations.

_You could hurt him._

_He needs to learn._

_He's safe right now._

_He might not be in the future._

_You'd be putting him at risk._

_I can't always be there for him._

_Why should you be there for him? You know what you've done. You don't deserve them. You don't deserve anyone._

_I need to make sure he's safe._

_He's better off without you. They're all better off without you. You've done nothing but bring them misery._

_He won't be able to defend himself if I don't teach him how to fight._

_"One lesson." I muttered. "Just one. After that, we are headed straight to the capital."_

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Omar and I both stepped outside Grillby's, into the cold air. Roughly an hour had passed since we first entered, and not very many monsters were roaming about. The air had warmed quite a bit, and the food we had both eaten had been delightful, and given us energy; despite this, I couldn't shake the increasing feeling of dread.

_Remember, you're not trying to kill him. It's just a simple practice match. You're not going to hurt him, just show him how FIGHTING works. It's just a pretend fight._

_Just a pretend fight…_

Omar and I had both found a small clearing in the middle of town, just below the path to the north. No one else was around, everyone else having gone inside. No one to call for help…

"HEY!" I jolted out of my thoughts; Omar was standing across from me, looking indignant. "Can we start already?! C'mon, let's get this show on the road!" He shouted, still as eager as ever.

I sighed.

_Don't mess this up, beast._

I started the fight.

*** 54 68 65 20 4c 6f 73 74 20 53 6f 75 6c 20 61 70 70 65 61 72 65 64 20 ***

*** Omar punches in! ***

*** Theme: Enemy Approaching - Undertale ***

The area surrounding us blackened, and all color, including ours, faded to a monochromatic black-and-white, signaling a duel had begun.

I saw the look on Omar's face; he was staring directly at me, and a look of alarm and surprise was on his face.

I started to speak. "When combat is started with a monster, the surrounding area darkens, color fades, and music begins to play, all to allow the combatants to focus on the fight at hand."

I looked at Omar: he was standing still, listening to every word.

"In a typical FIGHT, the combatants take turns, with one side acting before the other." I explained. "In this case, child, I shall take the first turn."

Instantly, a heart flew out of the child's chest, bright orange in color. Omar stared at it. "What's this?" he asked.

"That is your SOUL, the very accumulation of your being. In combat, your opponents will try to aim for it; don't let them. If they strike it, you will take damage." Just below the soul, a yellow bar glowed: beside it were the words:

_Omar._

_Lv. 4_

_HP: 60/60._

I explained further. "That HP Bar represents how much damage your soul can take. Under no circumstances is it to be emptied."

He didn't say anything.

I ended my turn. "Now—"

"Wait!" Omar shouted. "Aren't you going to attack me?

It felt like was just stabbed in the chest; for a moment, I thought the corner of my vision was engulfed in white flames. "Out of the question, child. I am not going to risk your safety. Now—"

"Why not?" Omar questioned.

I looked the child dead in the eye. "Omar, this is not up for debate. Your safety is my absolute responsibility, and I will not risk it for a simple lesson." I stated, with as much authority as I could muster.

The child looked like he wanted to argue, but ultimately seemed to decide against it, letting out a small "fine" in response. I let out a small sigh of relief; it pained me to say no to the child, but there were some lines that I just couldn't cross.

"Now, if we can continue…"

Four boxes appeared in front of Omar: FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, and MERCY. I explained what they were: "Those are your options in combat, child. FIGHT for when you wish to attack, to deal damage. ACT is for when you need to consider your options. ITEM is for items used to heal yourself. Finally, MERCY is used to end a battle without violence." I stopped for a moment, then continued. "Since it appears that you do not have any items, we will skip that option for now. For now, let's try ACT."

Omar did as he was told, selecting the button. Instantly, several more commands showed up: CHECK, TALK, HUG, and AVOW.

Omar briefly hovered over that last option, before shaking his head with an odd expression and choosing another option: TALK.

"What does CHECK do?" he asked.

"CHECKing is where you look at a foe's status, to see how they are feeling, for instance. It can help you plan your next attack."

Omar nodded; it was my turn then. Much to Omar's disappointment, I refused to attack, opting to skip my turn instead. This time, he chose to FIGHT.

In an instant, a green circular object appeared.

I started explaining. "In combat, when you choose to attack, this circle appears. Under most circumstances, a bar would appear, and slide across the middle on a line. Attacking when that bar when it would be in the middle would do the most damage to your opponent. However, yours is a bit different."

I continued. "Your fighting style relies on your fists, as opposed to any normal weapon. Therefore it's a bit different: you need to unleash a quick, focused barrage of punches to do maximum damage." I paused, then kneeled down on the ground.

"Child, do not hesitate. Strike at me, now."

I saw Omar hesitate. "Hesitation is defeat, child. Go on," I reassured him, "I can take it."

Omar hesitated only a half-second longer, before then unleashing four, quick jabs.

_Don't flee, parasite._

I felt them strike me.

-4 HP

The blows stung, but not nearly as much as they should have.

He was holding back.

Why was he holding back?

He shouldn't be upset about hurting me…

I shook my head; it was my turn again. "Excellent" was all I said, before skipping my turn once more.

This time, Omar immediately chose another option.

**ACT.**

**CHECK.**

Instantly, my stats popped up.

_4c 6f 73 74 20 53 6f 75 6c_

_HP: 21/25_

_ATK: 35_

_DEF: 30_

For some reason, the text still didn't show my name; I brushed it of as a meager inconvenience. However, what caught my attention was Omar's reaction: he was staring directly ahead, vision altering between looking at the text and at me, eyes widened, an expression of alarm on his face. In fact, he looked like he was about to be sick…

"Is everything ok, Omar?" I asked. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, no… I-I'm fine… it's just-" He looked at me. "What is this?"

"These are my stats. These are a measure of my being." If you can call it that.

Omar nodded once, before asking his best question yet.

"How can I end a battle?"

Thank heavens. It was my turn, so I took advantage of that; I chose the MERCY command, and spared Omar.

"Ending a battle is simple. You select MERCY and two options will appear. The first, a second MERCY command, will turn your name yellow; if a monster chooses to attack you, it will continue the fight, but if they choose MERCY as well, the fight will instantly end." I paused for a quick moment to catch my breath, before closing my eyes and continuing. "The second is to FLEE—"

_"I WON'T RUN FROM YOU!"_

My eyes

_snapped open instantly._

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I was back in my castle, and Omar was standing across from me, looking a little beat up. We were at the barrier, soul canisters at my feet. My old trident was in my hands, and I could feel my armor and crown weighing heavily on my body. I could feel my soul breaking, white flames dancing in my vision._

_I knew exactly what was going on._

_"Child, run, please!" I wanted to scream._

_"Run, live!"_

_"Stop fighting!"_

_"I don't want this! Please…!"_

_Omar looked at me, determination on his features. He ran right at me. I couldn't control my body; my arms swung of their own accord._

_The trident came down on Omar's head…!_

_NO!_

**"ASGORE!"**

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Something in my head clicked, and in an instant, I was back in Snowdin. Omar was still standing across from me; his features had contorted to a look of concern. The FIGHT was still ongoing. I looked down at my hands; that accursed trident was gone. I was wearing my robes, from the Ruins. Everything was fine. Omar was fine. Everything was…

"Asgore!"

I looked up, my mind still numb from the memory. "What—?"

"Are you alright?" Omar asked. "You looked like you were about to have a freak out there—"

"I'm fine, child!" I said, putting on the calmest smile I could muster. "I just… remembered something. So-something old. Yes. Nothing you need to worry about. I'm fine! Really! I'm fine."

Omar gave me an odd look; I had a feeling he could tell I was not fine. Regardless, he didn't say anything.

The fight continued. Omar was musing over his options; currently, he seemed to be deciding between to ACT or to FIGHT. ITEM was completely ignored, and MERCY, worryingly, was treated similarly.

I could feel my mind starting to panic. Why isn't he choosing MERCY? I thought, losing myself in my own mind. This lesson has gone on long enough. He must be getting cold. Why isn't he stopping?

So lost was I in my own thoughts, that I didn't see what Omar was doing.

'bam!'

I stumbled backward, and fell to the ground, as something cold and wet slammed into my face. I looked up; snow was dripping off my face, and I could see Omar bent over, laughing heartily. I found myself checking the FIGHT messages.

***ACT ***

***SNOWBALL ***

***4c 6f 73 74 20 53 6f 75 6c ***

***FACE ***

***HEADSHOT! ***

***54 68 65 4c 6f 73 74 20 53 6f 75 6c is STARTLED! ***

Probably should have seen that coming.

I grimaced, and forced myself to stand up. "Very funny, Omar, but I think this lesson has gone on long enough. It's time we go inside."

_Please…_

"No!" was his response, looking upset.

"Omar, please. It's cold out here, you could get sick! Please, end the fight so we can go in!"

Omar didn't say anything; he was still pouting.

"Omar, listen to me! You need to end the battle! Hurry up!"

Omar didn't say anything, but I could see his face; there was a mischievous look in his eyes, and an odd smirk went across his features. I started to sweat.

"Omar, this isn't funny! Stop this battle at once!"

I saw the boy quickly crouch down.

"Omar!"

As quick as lightning, the boy had scooped up a ball of snow, and hurled it at me. I ducked, the snowball flying over my head harmlessly. I briefly glanced backward, before returning my gaze forward. "Omar, you need—"

'bam!"

Another snowball struck me in the face.

"Omar, end the battle!"

'bam!'

"Stop thi—"

'bam!'

"Child!"

'bam!'

_Oh, that's it!_

_**Link established: Omar, Soul of Bravery** _

I felt something in my mind break, like a chain had snapped. My body began moving of its own accord.

I grabbed a ball of snow, and hurled it at Omar; it hit him square in the chest.

For a brief moment, panic seized me. Did I hurt him? Is he okay? Another snowball to my face was the answer.

I sputtered out the snow, and, concerns about the cold temporarily forgotten, launched my own ball of snow right back at him.

This one struck him in the arm, and the boy let out a joyful laugh. "Again! Again! C'mon, keep going!"

"You asked for it, child!"

I grabbed another ball of snow, while Omar ducked behind the Gyftmas tree in the center of town. Not wanting to ruin the tree, I held my fire temporarily.

"Come out, child! Santa has a gift for you!"

"Really?" Omar poked his head out. I tossed the ball.

I missed, and Omar saw fit to comment.

"Come on, old man! I know you can do better than that!"

"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer, child!" I retorted, not intending to give up the fight just yet.

I found myself surprised at Omar's vitality; the boy never faltered, even in the cold, regardless of the time. Such joy of life in this child…

A flurry of snow came around the side of the tree, towards me. I raised my arm to cover my face, and in that brief moment, Omar came around the tree, charging at me.

"RAAAAH!" He yelled, before tackling me, and sending us both to the ground, Omar on top of me.

I found myself laughing; I couldn't help it! This was the most fun I had in ages, I couldn't remember when I had felt this type of joy last. Omar laughed as well, happy to be out here, playing. We both laughed, a simple celebration of life, a sigh of joy between a human and a monster.

I saw color returning to the world; the battle was over. And if anyone came out at that time period, they would have seen a curious sight; a human child and an adult boss monster, laughing and playing in the snow like father and son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, leave a comment on the fic to show your support! Next chapter will be up soon!


	4. Chapter 3: Rectitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third child has fallen into the ruins; however, their arrival was not the most peaceful... 
> 
> Also, Asgore gets a sword. Yay.

The third child came when Asriel was visiting.

It had been roughly a year and a half since Omar had fallen into the Underground. The three children had practically heard from me constantly; every day, assuming one of them wasn't here with me, one of the children, usually Asriel, would call me, asking how I was doing, if everything was alright. It pained me to be away from them, but there was always a risk of something bad happening. Toriel had me here for a reason, after all.

Asriel had come over for his weekly visit. The white-furred goat child had grown at least a full head taller since I had left the capital, and yet, was dressed the same as he always was; a green and yellow striped sweater, and a pair of jeans. He had the same things he always did, a few books, some toys, some snacks. This time, however, he brought something new; a large, rectangular box, longer than he was tall, and with a decent weight behind it. He claimed it was a gift for me.

Before he showed me what it was, however, he wanted to get settled in, first.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, how have things been around here?" he asked.

We were both in the living room; me in my chair, and Asriel on a stool. We both had some snacks; myself with a sandwich, while Asriel had some of Toriel's butterscotch-cinnamon pie. It was a cold day, and the fire was burning away in the fireplace, providing some warmth to the house. I found myself reclining in my chair before answering.

"Everything's been going just fine, child." I answered. "The flowers have been growing just fine, most of the puzzles seem to have been deactivated, and there haven't been any new children showing up in the Underground, no new excitement." I found myself chuckling. "You'd like another sibling, would you?"

Asriel gave a short, beautiful laugh. "You bet!"

We both laughed. I knew more children would fall eventually, and Asriel would get his wish for a bigger family. That's why I was here, after all; finding the children, and making sure they were safe, no matter the cost.

I took the opportunity to speak up. "So, how have your current siblings been doing?"

Asriel looked right back at me, still smiling. "Everything's been going great! Omar's been settling in really nicely, and Theodora's been learning how to cook with mama! She's getting really good, too!"

"Good, good." I said, before quieting back down. Then, somewhat quietly, I asked, "What about Chara?"

Asriel's smile faltered, and he looked away. "They… they haven't been talking, recently. They don't talk at all anymore, really. Just a few words, here and there, but nothing major. 'Yes,' or 'no' or 'go ahead,' but never a full sentence."

I nodded sadly, Chara's suicide still lingering in both of our heads. I still found it difficult to believe, to be honest; Chara taking their own life to get Asriel to go to the surface, get six more souls, and then free the Underground. In order for that plan to come to fruition, Chara killed themselves with buttercup flowers, and died in extreme agony for the plan to work. Then, as it turned out, that a human soul absorbed by a monster was still conscious, and could control their new host.

It was difficult, really, to learn everything you had done was because of a megalomaniac, and not the death of a loving child.

Asriel put a hand to his chest; there was a brief flash of red light, and a red heart flew out of it. Chara's soul still radiated a strong glow; I could feel the energy radiating off of it, like a weak shot of coffee in the morning. Hard to believe that a monster with seven of those could become a god.

"They were really upset when you guys prevented us from going through the barrier." Asriel admitted. "They didn't want their plan to fail; they wanted to go to the surface, and see the flowers so badly—"

"My apologies, Asriel. I understand that it was not an easy situation for you, but Chara was severely mentally ill, and you must understand—"

That was when we both heard it: a high-pitched squeal. Both me and Asriel stopped; it wasn't uncommon to hear someone yelling in the Ruins… some monsters loved to hear their voices echo, after all… but this one sounded different. Louder, more desperate. Almost like… the person yelling was in… pain…

We looked at each other.

"Wait here." I told him. I got up from my chair, and made for the door—

"Wait!" Asriel called.

I turned around to see him pulling something out that long box from earlier. It took me a moment to realize what I was looking at, and I almost fainted when I did.

"Asriel… is that a sword?!"

The child managed to pull the weapon out of the box. It was a long, curved sword, reminiscent of a knife, albeit a significantly larger-than-normal one. The handle was wrapped in brown leather, and the hilt was a straight cross-guard, with a third protrusion on the side serving as a hand guard. The entire sword appeared to be made of stainless steel, and was almost as long as I was tall. The sword's scabbard was similarly made of brown leather, with a steel cap on the end.

Asriel held the weapon in his hands. "Omar, Chara and I had this made for you, by the Royal Guard. You left your trident back home, so we wanted you to have this!" He offered the blade to me. "Chara called it a "messer" sword; said that they figured that you would need it."

Hesitantly, I took the sword from Asriel's hands, thanking him in the process. It was well-balanced, and the hilt was just the right length to be comfortably used one-handed or two-handed. I took the sword out of its scabbard; the actual blade itself was polished to a silver gleam, and rather sharp.

When did the children learn about sword-making? More importantly, why did they make this for me?

The screams from earlier came back, shaking me out of my thoughts. I looked at the door, then back to Asriel.

"Go on," he said. "I'll stay here."

I nodded to Asriel, and went out the door, into the Ruins.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I found myself running as fast as I could.

I wasn't entirely sure why I was so nervous, really; I had checked and/or disarmed all of the puzzles in the Ruins, padded some of the rougher fallings with flowers, and informed everyone in the Ruins that if a human were to be found, they were to report to me. Everyone knew that humans, even young humans, could be dangerous, and that even a small child could cause a lot of damage to monster kind.

That was a fact that I knew all too well.

So, why did every alarm in my head scream, "run faster, you idiot!"?

I pushed through the Ruins, past several spike puzzles I had to hammer down, past a room full of pitfalls that I had padded, into a room where several Frogits, a frog-lookalike monster, usually stayed. The screams were getting louder, and now I could hear what sounded like sobbing in between the yells. I grimaced; what the hell was going on?!

I charged into the room.

I felt my heart stop when I saw the scene in front of me.

There was a young human girl standing in front of me, her back turned towards me. In front of her, starring her down, was a Loox, staring at the girl with its giant eye. The girl was sobbing, terrified; she was crouched over slightly, and I realized she was holding her leg.

"Don't pick on me," the Loox demanded.

"Someone help me!" the girl screamed.

The duo were in a FIGHT, with the rotund Loox on the offensive; neither of them noticed me. I mentally kicked myself; while most monsters in the Ruins were relatively harmless, i.e. the Frogits were rather simple minded, the Whimsums rather timid, and the Vegetoids were health-food focused, the Loox were a rather bullying race, always picking fights with other monsters. Ironically, they hated being picked on in return.

Of course they would attack a human child after I specifically told them not to. Of course they would.

White flames roared in the corners of my vision, and I felt something in my mind snap; before I could really process what was going on, I found myself rushing into the battle.

***Loox drew near! ***

***Moira takes the stage! ***

*** 54 68 65 20 4c 6f 73 74 20 53 6f 75 6c 20 61 70 70 65 61 72 65 64 20 ***

*** Theme: Enemy Approaching - Undertale ***

I turned black and white, signifying my joining the battle. I ran in front of the child, briefly fumbling the sword Asriel had given me before drawing it and holding it above my head. Both of the other combatants turned to look at me, clearly not expecting me.

"Who…?" I heard the girl ask.

"W-what are you doing here?!" the Loox shrieked.

"Step away from the child!" I demanded. The blade felt light in my grip, and every voice in my mind pleaded for me to force the blade into the monster's eye.

The Loox's eye went wide, and I could see it start to sweat; however, it didn't budge. "H-hold on, I was just mess-"

**"LEAVE!"**

The Loox seemed to get the message; he turned and ran, away from us, away from the child. Color returned to the world, the flames faded, and I found myself releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

I turned to look at the child; she was frozen stiff, starring directly at me with wide eyes. I took a good look at her; the girl was petite, rather alarmingly so. She appeared to be of middle eastern decent, and had raven colored hair, trimmed short and tied into a bun. She was wearing a ballet outfit, consisting of a leotard, leggings, ballet shoes, and a tutu, all bright pink, but covered in dirt.

The most concerning feature, however, was the large cut on the front of her right leg. The girl was still bent over slightly, both hands gripping her leg. That Loox would pay dearly for hurting her.

For a brief moment, I was in a different place;

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The throne room, at the castle._

_The same girl was standing in front of me, her gentle features twisted into a broken smile. Her ballet clothes were dirty and damaged, shoes and tutu missing, and the dust of countless monsters coated her form. The child was laughing, but there was no humor in her voice; only grief, rage, hysteria, a desperate insanity as the mind breaks down in fear._

_Fear that I was ultimately responsible for._

_I stood across from her, breath heavy. Oh, how I wished to simply let it end, to let the child win, take my soul, to leave, to live._

_But I couldn't._

_Monsterkind wanted this girl dead._

_Monsterkind needed this girl dead._

_My mind screamed at me as I held my trident-_

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I bent down, my face eye level with hers. Slowly, I outstretched my hand to her, not expecting her to take it.

"Howdy child, my name is Asgore Dreemurr, and I-"

I was right.

She didn't take my hand.

She darted past my hand with surprising speed and buried her face into my neck, quietly sobbing, before I could say anything else.

_**Link established: Moira, Soul of Integrity** _ ********

*

********

*

********

*

********

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

********

"More tea, Moira?" I asked the child.

********

The dancer smiled gently. "Yes please, Mr. Dreemurr."

********

It had been close to two weeks since the child had fallen into the Underground. The girl's leg had healed up nicely in that time period; while she still had some difficulty dancing, she was at least able put weight on it, and there wasn't any risk of infection.

********

Toriel hadn't been happy when she had heard that the child got hurt in my care; honestly, had she yelled much louder, I might have gone deaf. She demanded that I bring the child, and Asriel, to the capital at the first opportunity, once her leg had finished healing up. Moira herself hadn't been too happy with the situation, but it was agreed that it would be best if the child was as far away from the Ruins, and me, as soon as possible.

********

As for why the child was here… well, that was a different story.

********

Moira was a ballet student on the surface; the best in her class, in fact. Her mother had taken her to several recitals, where she always won top grades. She was also enrolled in child beauty pageants, where many people always regarded her as one the best dressed girls around the country. She had won many awards, all at the age of 11.

********

That's why she decided to jump into the underground.

********

Turns out, being shipped all over the country for more contests ended up taking its toll on Moira's mental and emotional health. The girl had very little social action outside of the contests, and the competitive nature of the contests meant that she had no real friends. On top of that, her parents, her mother in particular, kept pushing her past her limits; always "encouraging" her to dress better, try harder, have the "perfect" appearance, starving her for that "perfect figure." Her jump into the underground was meant to be an escape.

********

An escape that I had previously ruined with my declaration of war.

********

Yet more proof of my short-sighted idiocy.

********

Currently, the three of us we in the echo flower room, a decent ways into Waterfall. We had set up for a lunch break, on an old blanket, on one of the little islands near the center of the room. The lunch itself wasn't anything special; just some ham and cheese sandwiches, with some tea that I had made. Funnily enough, I had to pack extra, and not for myself; Moira had eaten more than both Asriel and I combined!

********

I found myself looking around the room; it was a relatively decent-sized room, eternally bathed in a glowing blue light both from the crystals scattered around the area, and the echo flowers on the islands. The room's lower level was flooded by the water flowing from a waterfall a few rooms back, creating little islands throughout the area. These islands were connected by bridges, creating a pathway through the area.

********

"It's nice down here, isn't it?"

********

I looked back towards Moira. She and I were alone, sitting on the blanket; Asriel had wandered off exploring somewhere. The child was looking around the room, deep in thought, looking serene. She was wearing a new outfit; a lightweight sweater, some jeans, and a pair of comfortable tennis-shoes; much better suited towards traveling than her ballet outfit.

********

"It sure is." I answered back. I thought for a moment, before asking, "How are you feeling, child?"

********

Moira looked back at me, surprised. "What do you- oh, I-I'm fine!" She gave a slightly forced grin. "I'm fine, really!"

********

I sighed; this trip hadn't been the easiest for her.

********

Turns out, Moira was afraid of heights. Apparently, when she was younger… 'a while back,' she said… she had fallen off a cliff and broken her leg. Not helping matters was that she had called her mother repeatedly, crying for help, but she never even answered the phone. Understandably, the incident left a few scars, not all of them physical. Asriel and I had found that out the hard way, when she started retching in a corner and crying after coming to a particularly large drop.

********

My soul ached every time I saw a frown on these children's faces; haven't they suffered enough? I know I certainly haven't, but why did they have to? They were innocent…

********

I shifted slightly. "You know, if you ever want to talk about it," I said, "you can always come to me. I admit, I'm not the most comforting figure, but…"

********

"Don't say that."

********

I looked up; Moira was staring right at me, a rather fierce expression on her face. "I know you, Asgore. I know that you're trying your best. I know that you mean well. You want the best for everyone. But there are some things you don't say, lines you don't cross. Understand?"

****_Like a poorly thought-out declaration of war._ ** **

I found myself silent for a moment; Moira turned to look back at the water.

****_Well done, fool. You've made her upset. You couldn't protect her from the Loox, you couldn't help her with her fear of heights, and now you've gone and made her upset, just by opening your mouth. Why are you still here, when you can't make a single child happy?_ ** **

We both sat in silence, me alone in my thoughts, and Moira to hers. I didn't know what to say; could I say anything? Should I say anything?

********

Fortunately, Asriel came to the rescue.

********

"Hey, look at what I found!"

********

The child and I looked up; Asriel was wandering towards us, an object in his hands. As he got closer, I took notice of its shape; rectangular, with a pair of black circles… speakers, I realized. I pair of metal antenna were on its top, along with a bunch of buttons.

********

"Is that a music player, Asriel?"

********

"It's a boom box!" the goat child said, before setting the object in question down in front of us. The "boom box…" a rather odd name for such a device, no sign of explosives or anything of the sort… appeared to be in decent condition, with minimal signs of rust or tarnish.

********

"I found it in the dirt up ahead; looks like someone left it here." The goat youth immediately started fiddling with the device. I found myself sighing; children these days, always playing with their little gadgets…

********

Remarkably, the device itself seemed to be in working order; Asriel pressed a button on the top, and classical music began to play out of the artifact.

******* Theme: Blue Danube Waltz – Johann Strauss II *** ** **

Asriel sat back and laughed. "It works!"

****\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------** **

For close to half an hour, the three- well, four of us, technically, counting Chara- just simply sat there, enjoying the music in the room. It was a simple time, peaceful, no need for running, no need for fighting; just four people, sitting together, enjoying each other's company.

********

Eventually, however, we all began fighting to stay awake. There was something soothing about the air in the room, the soft glow of the light, the peaceful music playing, that made sleeping seem like a highly attractive option.

********

Or, at least, a highly adorable one, at any rate.

********

I wasn't entirely sure when it had happened; one moment, the two children had been playing together, laughing and hollering, playing tag; the next they had both sat down next to one another, having worn themselves out. Eventually, they had fallen silent; I hadn't noticed at first, still lost in my own thoughts, but eventually, I had looked over at them, finally noticing the silence.

********

Asriel and Moira were leaning into one another, fast asleep. Moira was leaning into Asriel's shoulder, using his natural fluffiness as a pillow; in the same vein, Asriel's head was resting on top of Moira's, his face partially buried into her hair. The two were both asleep, smiling gently.

********

As careful as I could, without making a sound, I removed the cloak I had been wearing, and wrapped it around the children. Moira stirred slightly, but did not wake, and nuzzled even harder into Asriel's shoulder.

********

I backed up slowly, making sure I didn't disturb them further. As quietly, and quickly as I could, I pulled out my phone, and selected the camera feature.

****_*click*_ ** **

****_Photo saved._ ** **

I found myself smiling. This one was definitely going on the mantle.

********

"Sleep well, children. You deserve it."

********

*

********

*

********

*

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so now we are caught up with FF.net! I'm going to try and have the next chapter up in the next few days, but no promises; I've currently swamped with work, so things may change. Please, leave a review and let me know what you think of the story so far! Every comment helps!


	5. Chapter 4: Grip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asgore meets the fourth child, and a number of rather important threads are revealed... 
> 
> Warning: This chapter is a bit sad at points.

_Oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Check._

_Butter mixed into mashed bananas. Check._

_Mixed in sugar, egg, and vanilla. Check._

_Sprinkled and mix baking soda. Check._

_Sprinkled and mixed flour. Check._

_Batter poured. Check._

_Cook for 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes._

_Okay…_

I found myself going over the checklist once more; for about the fifth time in as many minutes, in fact. It was redundant at this point; I had just taken the banana bread out of the oven, and now just had to let it cool. Checking the list was merely second nature at this point; nothing more than a force of habit. 

Cooking had never been my strong suit; that was always Toriel’s specialty, as everything I always made either came out missing ingredients, overcooked, undercooked, or just ruined in some other way, shape, or form. Mine was gardening; I had always been good with plants, even before we were trapped Underground. Even before the War between humans and monsters, I was well known among the populace for creating beautiful arrays of flowers, partially because it was regarded as strange for someone of my stature to regulate himself to yard work; the prince was typically expected to be a warrior, not a horticulturist. 

So, why was I cooking up a meal? 

Two reasons, really; on the first point, I’ve found myself having… nightmares, or rather memories, for the past few weeks. This may sound strange, but almost every time I closed my eyes to rest at night, I found myself trapped in my head, harassed endlessly by a familiar malevolent flower monster; a twisted amalgamation of plant life, metal and flesh, powered by human souls. I knew exactly who it was, of course; I had killed it in the previous timeline, so why was it appearing to me now? That timeline was over… 

In any case, I found it to be a bit… easier on my mind if I did not focus on the flowers so much; it had gotten quite severe at points. Sometimes, whenever I was alone, I could see faces in the flowers, sneering relentlessly, reminding me endlessly of everything that I’ve done. Even in silence, I could hear that twisted laughter, echoing endlessly in my mind. I could feel the barbed vines, raking themselves across my skin, and yet, whenever I grabbed the afflicted area, there was no sign of injury. 

I found myself avoiding the darkened corners of the house; everywhere I went, I felt myself doing my best to stay within the light. Every time it went dark, I could hear the clanging of that accursed trident against metal, tearing through whatever flesh and twisted plant life it encountered. I could feel the lightning from the duel ripping through my arms still, still smell the burning flesh. I could FEEL the children’s souls, crying out in confusion and agony, begging for relief from the nightmare. 

I could remember the shock on the monstrosity’s face when I continued to stand against it. 

I could hear it’s pain when I destroyed the screen. 

I remember the children’s cries being silenced, as I tore their souls away from the beast-

Ah, I’m rambling, aren’t I? My apologizes; there’s nothing else this old fool needs to say on the matter; it’s over now. 

Where was I? 

Ah, yes, cooking. Reasons. Happiness. 

As for the second reason… well, it was an occasion, a happy one. My newest guest had requested banana bread as a treat, and who was I to say no? It was my duty to make them happy, after all; that’s what a host does. 

Granted, it wouldn’t do much for me in the long term, but at least there could be a little happiness right now. I knew how it would end, so I resolved to make the best of now; let the future come when it would and face it with as few regrets as possible. 

I found myself checking the temperature of the bread once more; it had cooled significantly and was just the right temperature for serving. I found myself cutting a single slice, putting it on a plate, and carrying it into the living room, where my guest was waiting at the table. 

“Lori,” I called out, my voice a bit hoarse from disuse, “snack time.” 

The mousy little girl looked up at me, at bit startled. She had her head buried in a book, another textbook on monster history. She seemed to love the subject; she always had her head buried in a book, to the point where I had to remind her to eat sometimes. She was a bright girl indeed, always looking to learn something new; that’s what led her to falling into the Underground. 

The 11-year-old girl had come to the mountain to research the old monster myths; she was fascinated with them, you see. She had come to the old mountain to look for any possible clues to monsterkind’s existence; one wrong step later, and she found herself in the Underground, unable to leave. You would have figured she would be a bit more afraid, but she walked right up and started talking to me, like it was a normal thing. She found me wandering the Ruins; I was in the middle of… 

…wait, what was I doing again? I can’t remember…

…

…Ah, well, it’s not important. 

I brought her back to the house. That was roughly three weeks ago now; she settled in quite nicely, filling the same room Moira had occupied several years ago. She was well taken care of beforehand, fortunately; she had comfortable clothes, no signs of malnourishment, no scars visible. She took to the Underground rather well, all things considered; she did not go out much, but she found munch enjoyment in books, always eager to learn. 

Like the previous children, I was expected to either bring the girl to the castle myself, or at least leave her with someone until the guards came by to pick her up. Today was the day I brought her over; Lori requested that I make her something special for the occasion. 

I sat the plate down in front of the girl, on the desk; Lori put the book away, and with a small “thank you,” took the bread and started eating, a small smile on her face. I found myself looking over the youth; the mousy little girl had thick, curly black hair and a pair of round spectacles, and she was wearing the same clothes she had on the day we reunited for the first time; a simple blue blouse and khakis, along with some dress shoes. She seemed to be of English descent; I caught traces of an accent in her voice when she rarely spoke. 

“Mr. Dreemurr?” 

Huh. Speak of the devil. 

I found myself refocusing on the child; she was looking directly at me, her face holding some… concern? 

The child spoke up: “Aren’t you hungry? Why aren’t you eating?” 

I found myself smiling. “I’m fine for now, child; I’ve been looking to lose weight.” It was a lie, of course, but the truth was something I did not want to share with someone so young. 

The child gave me an odd look; she did not seem to buy it, but she went back to her snack regardless. 

I found myself sighing internally. This may sound rather… strange, but I found myself feeling, how do I put this… unworthy to eat sometimes. Make no mistake, I feel hunger, but when I try to eat, I find myself back at the castle, the war declaration in place, and the children’s blood on my hands. Even if I tried to eat then, everything was far too bitter, and even the sweetest of food would turn rancid in my mouth. I can’t bring myself to eat, then, not when those thoughts are in my head. 

After all, could the children eat when they are dead? 

And, more importantly, why should their killer enjoy a meal when they can’t? 

I found myself closing my eyes, doing my best to block those thoughts away. 

_Remember, help this child, help the two remaining children, deal with the demon, and find a way to free everyone. End the nightmare. No less, no more._

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I found myself bringing Lori to Waterfall, roughly halfway through the Underground. 

It was a journey that I knew well enough by now that I had practically memorized; the river was still out of the question, for some reason or another, so I was going to have to escort Lori to the designated point; in this case, to an old acquaintance of mine living in Waterfall, where the royal guard would pick her up for the rest of the journey. I admit, I hadn’t been the most enthused about the arrangement; I was more than happy to spend time with the children, make no mistake, but the person I was bringing them to… well, we weren’t on good terms, even after the RESET. 

I was not too sure why, exactly, but it seems some things are carried over from before; specific memories seemed to be gone, but most of the feelings and the relationships stayed the same. Lucky me, I suppose. 

Waterfall had not changed much since I had last been through there with Moira; it was still dark, wet, full of junk, and had enough sudden drop-offs to make anyone more than a bit concerned. Injury was not uncommon in the caves, even for more experienced hikers and such, and parents were encouraged to stay close to their children; leaving a child alone was generally considered a sign of gross negligence. 

It was a long and dull trip, regardless; Lori and I engaged in conversation a few times, but we could not find much to talk about. We tried to discuss the history of monsterkind, but my memory seems to be failing me; I found it difficult to recall such topics. I offered to show the child a bit of how combat worked in the Underground, and she agreed at first, but when the world turned dark and the interface appeared, she became frightened; I tried to talk to her, but she refused to say much; she clung to my arm, muttering frantically about fire… 

I decided to ignore combat after that. 

We made the rest of the trip in silence; Lori had me carry her shortly afterwards, and she had fallen asleep against my shoulder while I was walking, so there was no making conversation. We were pretty far into the cave, near the end, in fact. We had passed by several plaques, some talking about Boss Monsters, such as myself, and others detailing the war between humans and monsters. They most likely were not completely accurate, by any means, but at least they gave insight to how monsterkind viewed the war. 

Up north was a pair of houses; if I remember correctly, a pair of ghost monsters, both brothers, lived there; I think they were both musicians, and I think a snail farm was recently put in operation. To the south was the dump; refuse and other such matters of filth all gathered there from the human world above, creating a truly rancid smell. Lori had woken up in my arms, gagging at the smell; I covered her nose and mouth with a rag, and she seemed a bit grateful. 

Our destination was just up ahead, in a hallway to the east; I gently sat the child on the ground, and we both walked into the hall, before turning north, towards the little hole. I found myself stopping, and breathing deeply to regain my composure, before stepping inside. 

The inside of the little hole looked just as I remembered; there were piles of junk and artifacts scattered everywhere, with only a simple store counter between the piles and us visitors. I found myself scanning the room; I spotted the distinctive Warhammer in the back-left corner, but no sign of its owner. 

I found myself raising my voice ever so slightly: 

“Gerson! Are you here?” 

For a moment, there was silence. Then, an old turtle monster came wandering out from the right, from behind one of the piles. He was dressed in his same clothing, as always; a tan archeological shirt, shorts, and a matching plith helmet. He was old and withered, with crooked yellow teeth and squinty eyes; despite this, there was a certain strength in his features. 

When the monster spotted me, his features turned into a harsh scowl. 

“Dreemurr. What are you doing here?” The old monster asked, a certain edge to his voice. 

I could not bring myself to smile. “Hello, Gerson. I was just bringing the child on by.” 

For a few brief moments, we all stood there in silence; me looking at Gerson, Gerson looking at me, and Lori standing quietly, observing the scene in front of her. I was the first to move, as I found myself looking down, to my right; Lori had retreaded somewhat behind me, gripping my hand tightly. I gently nudged her forward; she let out a shiver of protest but offered no other resistance. I kneeled to face her. 

“Well, this is where we part ways, child,” I found myself saying, doing my best to hide my emotions. Truth be told, I wanted nothing more than to take her home and care for her… hell, care for all of the children… as if they were my own, but I couldn’t; not with my history. 

This was necessary, I told myself. The children need this. 

Lori didn’t say anything, but the expression on her face spoke volumes; she didn’t want to leave, not without me. But still, despite her hesitation, she nodded dutifully, and went to go stand near Gerson… 

…but not before giving me quick hug around the neck first. 

_***Link established: Lori, Soul of Perseverance*** _

After we broke away, I found myself standing up; I watched Lori wander into the store, behind Gerson, and Gerson only briefly watched her, before turning back to me. 

There was nothing more for me there. I just turned and left without saying a word. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I found myself stopping on by the murals on the way back. 

I wasn’t too sure why I stopped there, to be honest; I suppose part of me wanted to find something to remember of the trip before I went back to the Ruins. I was stopped in front of the war memorial; more specifically, the one detailing an artist’s rendition of a monster that had absorbed a human soul. It was a twisted little thing to be sure; it appeared to be a heavily mutated canine, of sorts; the front limbs were far too long, a pair of antlers were on it’s head, and the creature was quite literally bone-thin. It looked quite a bit like a wendigo, actually; I had killed one before, and I still remember the disgusting thing rather vividly. 

Truthfully, as ugly as it was, it still wasn’t as disgusting as an actual soul-stealing monster. I had met enough of those personally to know that the appearance was a matter of personal preference. Some preferred to look like abominable hybrids of machinery and plant life. 

_You’ll never wake up!_

Some looked like idealized versions of themselves… 

_Out of my way, Asgore. I’m going to do this._

And still others wore the masks of kindness and happiness, while beneath was a sad creature that couldn’t let go of its hate. 

_It’s all your fault, and only your fault, Dreemur._

It was those monsters that were responsible for all of this in the first place; their actions led to the mages’ imprisoning of monsters to seem justified. They wanted power at all costs, even at the expense of those that loved them. To them, the only thing that mattered was power; even if they shackled innocent children, as long as they got what they want, they didn’t care. A thousand years of imprisonment, and many monsters still didn’t seem to get it. 

You were forced to learn this the hard way, Anomaly. 

I wonder, Anomaly, what it must have been like for you, when you first wandered through here. I am aware that you hated us, and to be quite fair, I don’t think I could blame you for that; you had every right, and to say otherwise would have been naive. 

Still, I wonder what was going through your head, all that time ago; did you feel sympathy? 

Rage? 

Joy? 

Perhaps you felt nothing at all? 

I am aware of what it had been like for you then, and I don’t blame you for being closed off. 

You went so far to help us despite your justified hatred, and monsterkind rejected your mercy, leaving you with little alternative. You didn’t deserve for that to happen to you. I’m so sorry… 

Ah, I’m rambling again, aren’t I? My apologizes. Perhaps this old fool should cut the tongue out of his head. It would make plenty of the more soul-hungry monsters happy, regardless. 

Regardless of what I was doing, I had no idea why I was waiting at the mural; perhaps I was waiting for a friend? But then, who would want me around? Not even Gerson seemed to be able to stand me anymore, so what was I waiting for? A sign, perhaps? A ray of hope? 

I found myself tearing my eyes away from the mural; I had no idea how long I had been standing there, but I could feel the air become a bit cooler, and a grumble in my stomach told me I was hungry. No one had ever showed up, at least that I had noticed; I was all alone, with my own thoughts for company. 

Some part of me suddenly found it foolish for me to be standing there; a voice was in my head, burrowing its way into my thoughts. Why are you standing around? The voice seemed to ask. Go home. Eat. Rest. It’s over. Time to go home. 

I actually found myself laughing out loud from that. I imagine if a monster had passed on by at that point, they would have thought me to be insane, and perhaps I was. 

_Home._

I still found myself chuckling, even as my breathe grew hoarse and tears were streaming down my face. 

_Since when did I have a home to return to?_

And the voice grew silent, unable to answer. 

Despite this, I found myself baking away from the wall; almost against my will, my body started putting one foot in front of the other, away from the murals, away from the past. Instead, it wandered on back to it’s home, the Ruins, still somewhat against it’s owner’s thoughts. 

Perhaps it would be for the best. 

I chuckled again. A home, for me? No home needs a beast. 

I wonder if that banana bread is still good…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This is Warden Epsilon, bringing another new chapter for this story. I know, I know, I'm late; real world's been throwing some curveballs at me, with school and such, and it's been cutting into my story writing. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get another chapter written; school's taking priority right now, so it'll be awhile before I can do anything.
> 
> I'll try and update this note later today; I've got somewhere I need to be.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, all! This is Warden Epsilon, posting my very first story to this site, cross-posted from Fanfiction.net! I'm still getting used to Archive's interface, so I'll try and iron out any bugs that I miss. Enjoy!


End file.
